Chen Jiuyang followed Luo Xingchen, wanting to see how the Dao Fruit was activated.
Qi Wushuang had said that to activate the Dao Fruit, one needed help.
Now, he was helping Luo Xingchen, and later Luo Xingchen would help him.
The two of them gradually left the City of Ten Thousand Ghosts at a slow pace.
The thick fog, viscous as clouds, rolled in again.
The moment they exited the city.
Chen Jiuyang felt intense malice attacking from all directions.
"These ghost things are targeting me?"
Chen Jiuyang frowned, his mind beginning to ponder.
The ghost things in this city were Dao Fruits, and it was clear that Dao Fruits had different grades.
But... what would this Dao Fruit become if it left the ghost city?
Vast malice surged from all sides, as if wanting to devour and dismember Chen Jiuyang.
Luo Xingchen, however, continued to lead Chen Jiuyang forward with an unchanged expression.
Chen Jiuyang's heart stirred, and he asked, "Fellow Daoist Luo, how do you know which direction to go out of the city?"
Chen Jiuyang was exceptionally intelligent, but he hadn't seen any directional guidance in that small courtyard. Luo Xingchen had directly led him north out of the city.
He had a faint feeling that something was amiss.
He suddenly remembered Qi Wushuang's words: after leaving the initial place, do not trust anyone.
When he had arrived earlier, he hadn't felt any malice from these ghost things.
But why had it changed after entering and exiting?
Chen Jiuyang himself was definitely not the problem, so the only remaining possibility...
was that Luo Xingchen was problematic.
Could it be that he was possessed and influenced by the ghost thing in the courtyard?
He possessed the Qianyang Dao Body, which countered all Yin entities.
He placed a hand on Luo Xingchen's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Luo, why aren't you speaking?"
Luo Xingchen replied, "This matter concerns the secret of the Dao Fruit, and I regret I cannot tell you, Fellow Daoist Chen."
Chen Jiuyang's face darkened, and he immediately asked, "Fellow Daoist Luo, do you remember the secret code we just agreed upon?"
Luo Xingchen, without suspicion, replied, "Washing the clear ripples, yet not being seductive."
This answer was flawless and matched the secret code, but...
*Swish!*
Chen Jiuyang suddenly drew his saber and, without any hesitation, slashed at Luo Xingchen.
The person before him was not Luo Xingchen!
When they exchanged the secret code earlier, each person had recited a divine ability, not only as a secret code but also to verify their divine abilities.
...
Ghost City.
In the small courtyard where Luo Xingchen resided.
Her face changed drastically, her eyes filled with extreme caution as she looked at the 'Luo Xingchen' in the courtyard who was identical to her.
She had tried to leave the small courtyard earlier, only to find that although she had pushed open the door, she couldn't walk out.
And in her perception, she hadn't detected any problems.
This, precisely, was the biggest problem.
She was, after all, a peak prodigy, a quasi-emperor!
And she watched helplessly as Chen Jiuyang left with the ghost thing that seemed to be a manifestation of the Dao Fruit, unable to warn him.
She took a deep breath. For now, she had to solve her own problem. She opened her mouth and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"Who exactly are you?" the 'Luo Xingchen' asked simultaneously.
In the eyes of the 'Luo Xingchen,' upon exiting this small room, she saw the Luo Xingchen in the courtyard who was identical to her, believing herself to be the original.
The two Luo Xingchens immediately looked at each other with great caution, both contemplating. No wonder Qi Wushuang had said that to obtain the Dao Fruit, one needed help, and in the actual situation, one would understand.
So this was the reason.
The next moment, Luo Xingchen's delicate white fingers shot out towards the other.
A battle immediately erupted in the courtyard.
However, the fight between two quasi-emperors, which could shatter stars, was confined within this small courtyard. The courtyard itself could not be shaken, and all the clashes and fluctuations were suppressed within this small courtyard.
...
Outside the Ghost City.
Chen Jiuyang slashed at the 'Luo Xingchen.' The opponent displayed combat power equivalent to a quasi-emperor, and a slender jade hand directly caught the Yan Sheng Saber. The 'Luo Xingchen's' eyes revealed fear and confusion: "Fellow Daoist Chen, why do you want to kill me!"
A flicker of confusion crossed Chen Jiuyang's eyes as he exerted more power into his hand: "Demons and monsters, how dare you deceive me in front of this seat!"
*Whoosh—*
Although the opponent possessed quasi-emperor combat power, their physical body was not strong. With one slash, the 'Luo Xingchen' was directly split in two by Chen Jiuyang.
However, no blood or flesh splattered out.
Just as he suspected!
Chen Jiuyang's eyes narrowed, and then his expression shifted: "This is... Dao Fruit Dao power..."
Before he could react, a strand of hair flew out and swallowed this Dao power.
"Hmm?" m..oΓg
Then, pink mist suddenly condensed, forming the appearance of Princess 'Shi Le': "This Dao power tastes really good..."
"'Shi Le' Your Highness?" Chen Jiuyang asked.
"Indeed, it is I," Princess 'Shi Le' said. After glancing at her surroundings, she remarked, "No wonder I could devour Dao power; you have actually entered the Dao Fruit Secret Realm."
Chen Jiuyang was shocked: "Your Highness, you can actually infiltrate this place?"
Princess 'Shi Le' replied, "I possess a Dao Fruit myself, so naturally, I can come here. Otherwise, how could I participate in the Myriad Things Floating Life Realm with you in the future?"
Chen Jiuyang asked, "What was that just now?"
"'Dao Slave'," Princess 'Shi Le' said. "Dao Fruits are sentient beings, containing the three thousand origin great daos."
"I ask you, what grade is the Dao Fruit you obtained? How many tribulations?"
Chen Jiuyang replied, "Eighty-one tribulations."
Princess 'Shi Le' stated, "An eighty-one tribulation Dao Fruit is extremely difficult to find, and even if found, successfully refining it is a near-death experience, with only a ten percent chance of success and of leaving this place."
"An eighty-one tribulation Dao Fruit contains nine origin great daos, each with immense power."
"Without my help, you would likely find it very difficult to refine this Dao Fruit."
Chen Jiuyang's expression turned solemn, and he asked, "What are origin great daos?"
"When one's own great dao reaches its extreme, one can master the origin of the great dao and obtain an unparalleled divine ability."
"For example, when you were in the Emperor Realm, you forged a furnace by melting five origins. According to normal progression, you would need to melt four more origins, and as your cultivation grows, you can master the origin of the great dao, which is the Martial Dao Red Dust Immortal."
"And an eighty-one tribulation Dao Fruit has nine origin great daos, nine supreme divine abilities."
"Origin supreme divine abilities?" Chen Jiuyang's expression became solemn: "I have never heard of them."
"You have seen them, but perhaps not heard of them. This is normal..." Princess 'Shi Le' said. "Do you know what you are holding?"
"Yan Sheng Saber," Chen Jiuyang replied.
Princess 'Shi Le' said, "Think again."
Chen Jiuyang frowned, pondered for a long time, and then murmured, "A saber?"
"Correct," Princess 'Shi Le' said. "Do you know why human emperors, with only Emperor Realm cultivation, could dominate an era, but their lifespans were not long?"